Share this:

Within the next few telecasts CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” gets rechristened. It’ll become “Piers Morgan Live.”

Why?

“Because I actually prefer ‘Live,’ which is how Larry King did it all those years. I always wanted it that way but, when I began, I was under contract to ‘America’s Got Talent’ and couldn’t work out the schedules. Now that I’m not one of those talent judges anymore, I have the time.

“So, with Jeff Zucker coming in, taking over, bringing up new ideas, I went to him and thought it’s a good idea to revamp.”

And who’s to be his first “live” guest? “I don’t know yet. Might be something to stir up things. Who knows . . . maybe I’ll do all singing and dancing.”

JAMES Franco, with hair professionally hairdresserly touseled, is one of what’s called “the Gucci faces.” One of their bodies, too, because his bones were in their gray designer suit. The black shoes? Plain. So must be he isn’t one of their feet.

This was a media scramble for the new film “Oz the Great and Powerful,” which stars Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff. Mila didn’t show, Rachel didn’t show, Michelle didn’t show, Zach didn’t show. Either the others are wrapped up with other movies or bummed out with razzberrys of this movie.

Assembled hours before, the electronic press stood and waited behind rope lines on bits of paper. A felt pen identified them. Then Franco — alone — showed. And allowed 15 minutes for the whole scrum. Why? He was off to do Stephen Colbert.

“I play Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician. But I’m not big with witchcraft or wizardry scenes because that stuff didn’t end up in the picture. It’s Oz. Good and evil. I saw the original film, and this one’s different from the 1939 one. It’s a prequel. And has new characters. Mila, Rachel and Michelle play the witches. I’ve seen this movie twice. I’m very happy with it.”

And why rushing to do Stephen Colbert? “I’m doing lots of other things, too. In fact, I’m leaving right away for LA. Being inducted into the Hollywood Hall of Fame. But I’ve met Stephen. Done his show before. I think he’s great. Very smart. I love his work.”

Fine. More than I needed to hear about Stephen Colbert.

ON the 14th, the New York Observer celebrates its 25th anniversary. The party’s usual suspects will include M. Bloomberg . . . And the School of American Ballet’s winter dinner, sponsored by Van Cleef, is Monday. Whether M. Bloomberg tour jetés over to that, I doubt . . . Rubin Singer, designer of Beyoncé’s leather outfit, now so hot he’s already into all Neiman stores.

I DIDN’T coin this, but I’ll repeat it: “We’re reading a book on gravity. We can’t put it down.”

CALIFORNIA’S Diane Ladd, on TV’s “Enlightened” with daughter Laura Dern, gives a reading of her new book “A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake” here April 9 at Strand. Rex Reed will introduce her. She says:

“A Trump Hotel, $675 a night, said they’d charge me $500. A Helmsley’s $475, which they’ll give me for $400. I’m looking to pay $275. I’m not rich. I’m entering a cycle. The industry’s cruel to women. I stand in the middle of my room, look at all my international movie awards and say, ‘Hey, I’ve done all that.’ If I’m not acting, I don’t pay the rent.

“And the title of this new book means if you have a bad afternoon, you can’t have a piece of cake.”

PATIENT: “Too many medical changes. Every day it’s something different. Once you did this for ulcers, now you do that. Once you had surgery for something, now not. What’s the best way for anyone to know what to do?” Answer from a doctor at Columbia Presbyterian: “Pray.”